WWF (World Wildlife Fund) is the world’s largest independent conservation organisation. WWF’s origins date back to 1961, when a group of eminent, committed naturalists highlighted the need to protect animals and became known for the iconic panda – a symbol of hope that people and nature can live in harmony. WWF has gradually begun to address conservation and sustainable development in a systematic way, working to protect wildlife, forests, oceans and freshwater ecosystems, and focusing on the root causes of biodiversity loss, including how energy and food are produced, the need to transform the economy, greening investment and sustainable use of natural resources. WWF is active in nearly 100 countries on 6 continents. In the Central and Eastern Europe region, WWF affiliates are represented by WWF-CEE, which is based in Vienna. It coordinates the cooperation of WWF Bulgaria, WWF Romania, WWF Hungary, WWF Slovakia and WWF Ukraine. WWF has been active in Slovakia since 2014 and was established as an independent branch in 2019. The WWF Slovakia team focuses on three priority areas – forest, water and wildlife conservation.